I want you dirty and wet
not the pink and grey veins
you have shown me in cool marble
but that one hot vein
that still runs through you
show me something about you
that is misspelt
the graffiti I saw today
called you erf
if I found the nerve I could dive in
never reaching your ocean bed
my fingertips tangle with seaweed
trail over soft bodied molluscs
I have drawn all of your layers
the asthenosphere is partially melted
koalas
she thought about how
her heart
was asocial like a koala
she thought about
how this wasn’t exactly true
she thought about how
it helped to think it was
as true as god and adding
an extra layer or two
getting a grip
on her bamboo tights
before heading out
into their grey fluff ears
their sideways glances
nibbling as they climbed
_____________
Laura McKee’s first pamphlet, take care of your hooves darling, is due in Spring 2023 with Against the Grain Press. This year her poems have appeared in Tattie Zine, Propel, Crannog, and The Poetry Review. Find her on Twitter: @LauraMcKee_fyeh
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